Donor acquisition can be tough. But while it might be tricky, it’s not impossible. There are plenty of fun and unique ways to increase donors and contributions for your charity, such as...

1. Partner with an influential social star. The dawn of the internet has spawned a whole host of social media stars that command huge followings from all corners of the web. From fitness guru Kayla Itsines to beauty blogger Wengie, social media plays host to a plethora of influential individuals who act as tastemakers on the digital sphere. That’s where your charity comes in.
Partnering with a social media influencer can be a great way to raise your charity’s profile and acquire new donors. Influencers are savvy individuals who know how to speak to their followers (and when they speak, they listen!). Use a tool like Deep Social to find influencers that will resonate with your target audience, and link up with them to create an emotive campaign that hooks donors and encourages them to donate.

2. Turn retweets into $$$. Instead of partnering with an influencer, why not partner with a business instead? Find a local business and get them to donate $1 for every retweet or Facebook Like your post receives. Not only is it a great opportunity to increase donors by making your post or tweet go viral, but it also gives the business great PR that money just can’t buy. Research shows that this kind of social giving can boost your campaign results by up to 40%, a staggering amount. The general public love getting big businesses to dig deep into their pockets, and they often find themselves opening their wallets at the same time.

3. Get your charity in front of the camera. YouTube is the most popular video platform on the web, with almost 1.5 billion users around the globe, a figure that is only set to grow with time. That makes it the perfect place to find new donors who are willing to contribute to your cause.
Using video ads can be a great way to find new donors and encourage contributions by creating an emotional narrative around your cause. Check out this example from Aussie charity GetUp! (heads up, it’s a tearjerker).

Creating a snappy video ad that appears on YouTube will give your charity a huge amount of exposure. Get your team together and make a memorable and engaging video that grabs the viewer immediately (before they have the chance to skip the ad). And be sure to check out some other examples to find some inspiration for yours.

4. Create a sparky text campaign. Creating a text campaign is a simple, effective, and straightforward way to increase the number of regular donations your charity receives. Making it possible for people to conveniently donate from their mobiles wherever they are is an enticing prospect.
Many people don’t like having to provide all their personal information when they donate, or might not want to commit to a regular giving scheme. By sending out a single text to new or existing donors asking for a small one-off donation, you can receive a significant return for your cause.

5. Revisit your seasonal marketing campaigns. Lots of charities run seasonal email marketing campaigns, seeking donations during times that are all about giving — particularly Christmas. Festive campaigns are often highly effective, touching the hearts of individuals over a time fundamentally linked to charity.
But a successful Christmas email campaign isn’t just for Christmas! Why not reach out to those same donors later in the year to thank them for contributing? Remind them of their good yuletide deeds, and note that your cause needs donations all year round.

6. Create a nonprofit online store. Donating to charity isn’t exactly about getting something in return, but adding some sort of incentive to your donation process (even if it’s very basic) is a fantastic way to give people the little nudge needed to get them in a charitable mood.
Thanks to online site-building software, it’s easy to set up a DIY nonprofit ecommerce site, then find a custom merchandise store in your area and design a basic range of branded products. You then sell each item at a large markup with a commitment to take the profit as a donation, and provide direct-donation links alongside the items.
If you’re really smart with your branding and marketing, you can get a lot of social media traction through your merchandise, further bringing your charity into public awareness. For some inspiration, take a look at some current charitable stores that are doing good work.

Building up a strong pool of regular donors might be one of the trickiest parts of running a charity, but there are ways to make donor acquisition fun and interesting. Get creative with your campaigns with the ideas above, and you’ll soon see the donations flying in!

Kayleigh Alexandra is a content writer for Micro Startups — a site that donates all of its web revenue to charities supporting startups, entrepreneurs, and other worthy causes. Check out the blog for your latest dose of growth hacking news. Follow us on Twitter @getmicrostarted.